At least 25 weekend drownings in U.S.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., June 11 (UPI) -- It was a deadly weekend in U.S. waters from coast to coast, with at least 25 drownings reported by authorities.

The search for a 10-year-old Philadelphia boy missing in waters near the Atlantic City, N.J., boardwalk had been switched to a recovery effort, WPVI-TV, Philadelphia, reported Monday. The boy went under about 7 p.m. Sunday while swimming with his sister, The (Newark) Star-Ledger. The U.S. Coast Guard was still searching for him.

Two 5-year-old girls drowned in a backyard swimming pool Sunday afternoon in Dallas, Ga., The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. One of the girls lived at the home and the other was the granddaughter of the family's live-in housekeeper, the newspaper said.

WSB-TV, Atlanta, reported the body of Girona Pye, 22, of Woodstock, Ga., was recovered from the Chattahoochee River. Authorities said he drowned while trying to swim across the river Saturday.

A 25-year-old man drowned Sunday afternoon in about 10 feet of water in a man-made lake in Sunny Vale Park near Wausau, Wis., the Wausau Daily Herald reported. His name had not been released.

In another Wisconsin incident, Pierce County deputies were searching the Mississippi River near Bay City for the body of an unidentified 38-year-old man believed to have drowned Saturday evening, the Republican Eagle in Red Wing, Minn., reported. Authorities said the man and his wife were fishing when he fell overboard. She jumped into the water, but was unable to save him and she swam to shore.

An unidentified swimmer died in the pounding surf and strong riptides at Pensacola Beach in Florida Sunday, the Pensacola News Journal reported.

In another Florida incident Sunday, the Tampa Bay Times reported Kenton Parker, 56, of Kokomo, Ind., drowned after clinging to a buoy while a 21-year-old friend swam for help.

The Indianapolis Star reported two drownings in Indiana during the weekend. The body of a 14-year-old Indianapolis boy was recovered Sunday afternoon from waters near St. Paul in Decatur County. On Saturday, an 8-year-old girl drowned in a pond in Wayne Township, Ind.

Authorities said a 16-year-old girl pulled from Cedar Lake in Minneapolis about 2 p.m. Sunday after being underwater for an extended period after apparently trying to swim to shore from a floating platform died Monday, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. Her name had not been released.

In Iowa, Dickinson County authorities said Jennifer Johnson, 26, of Estherville drowned early Sunday while swimming from a boat on East Lake Okoboji, the Worthington (Minn.) Daily Globe reported.

In Grand Prairie, Texas, police said a man drowned Sunday at Joe Pool Lake while trying to save his three children from drowning after their flotation device flipped over, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. The children were saved, but Jesus Castaneda went under and failed to come back up.

The newspaper said another man drowned at the same lake when he became entangled in a boat rope Saturday, and a 34-year-old man died when he fell from a boat at Lake Lewisville in Texas, the Star-Telegram said.

Also in Texas, an unidentified 51-year-old man drowned while swimming in the Trinity River during a family gathering Saturday, the Houston Chronicle reported.

In South Carolina, Troy Jamal Brown, 31, of Seneca drowned Saturday while swimming in the Chauga River, the Anderson Independent Mail reported.

In Clarion, Pa., Brandon Fuller, who would have turned 18 Tuesday, drowned in a creek Saturday trying to save a girl having an asthma attack, WTAE-TV, Pittsburgh, reported.

In Kentucky, police said Michael Padula, who worked for Morehead State University, apparently drowned in the North Fork of Triplett Creek Saturday while fishing, WTVQ-TV, Lexington, Ky., reported.

Authorities said Michael George Fetchik III, 30, drowned accidentally in the Lewis River near Woodland, Wash., after jumping off a bridge early Sunday, KOIN, Portland, Ore., reported.

Rafael Perez Jr., 18, of Brockton, Mass., drowned Friday night in Charge Pond in Myles Standish State Forest, the Boston Herald reported. WHDH-TV, Boston, reported Perez's sister said he was trying to help another distressed swimmer who was trying to reach a boat.

In Gilbert, Ariz., Clayden Hammond, 5, was pronounced dead Sunday, the day after he was pulled from the Val Vista Lakes Clubhouse pool, KPHO-TV, Phoenix, reported.

Not all the weekend drownings were accidental, authorities said. Police in Peoria, Ariz., said they charged Eduardo Mercado with second-degree murder in the Saturday drowning of Rueben Diaz in a private pond, KNXV-TV, Phoenix, reported. The men, along with a third man, Julian Tamayo, allegedly had been using drugs and Mercado became angry with Diaz over how he was maneuvering one of two paddle boats they had allegedly stolen.

Mercado allegedly threw Diaz in the water and held him under the surface until Diaz drowned.

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